Global diversity and ecosystem functions of plant-microbe symbioses

植物-微生物共生的全球多样性和生态系统功能

• 批准号: 2433027
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Warwick
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2433027
• 关键词: Global; diversity; ecosystem; functions; plant

Arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) are the most widespread symbiosis between higher plants and fungi, and have major impacts on terrestrial ecosystem processes, including biogeochemical cycling and the diversity and productivity of plant communities. Fungi which form AM have been assumed to comprise the phylum Glomeromycota. However, we have shown that fungi which form the distinctive 'fine root endophyte' (FRE) AM morphotype are actually members of the phylum Mucoromycota, which diverged from the Glomeromycota over 700 million years ago, before the colonization of land by plants. Although we know that FRE are globally distributed, and can be abundant within ecosystems, we know almost nothing about the diversity, ecology or ecosystem function of the fungi involved. However, evidence suggests that FREs and Glomeromycota have different interactions with the environment and may be functionally distinct. In this project you will investigate the diversity and composition of FRE globally, and key environmental factors determining their abundance and distribution. In order to understand the ecological function of FREs, you will assemble genomes of FREs from environmental metagenomes. The assembled genomes will used to investigate the presence of traits associated with key biogeochemical cycling processes, so that the ecological significance of FRE can be established. Methodology: Initial analysis of existing DNA databases will be used to investigate diversity and distribution of FRE and Glomeromycota across habitats and the ecological drivers of their distribution. Existing field sites in use in parallel projects will be used for more detailed analysis of FRE distribution, such as seasonal variation, plant species preferences and responses to land use and management. Metagenome sequencing will be used to reconstruct genomes of FRE, to enable analysis of the potential contribution of FRE to soil biogeochemical processes.

丛枝菌根（AM）是高等植物和真菌之间最广泛的共生体，对陆地生态系统过程具有重大影响，包括生物地球化学循环以及植物群落的多样性和生产力。形成AM的真菌被认为包括球囊菌门。然而，我们已经证明，形成独特的“细根内生菌”(FRE) AM 形态型的真菌实际上是毛霉菌门的成员，该门在 7 亿多年前（即植物在陆地上定居之前）从球囊菌门中分化出来。尽管我们知道 FRE 分布在全球，并且在生态系统中含量丰富，但我们对所涉及真菌的多样性、生态或生态系统功能几乎一无所知。然而，有证据表明 FRE 和球菌门与环境具有不同的相互作用，并且可能在功能上有所不同。在本项目中，您将研究全球 FRE 的多样性和组成，以及决定其丰度和分布的关键环境因素。为了了解 FRE 的生态功能，您将从环境宏基因组中组装 FRE 的基因组。组装的基因组将用于研究与关键生物地球化学循环过程相关的性状的存在，从而确定 FRE 的生态意义。方法：对现有 DNA 数据库的初步分析将用于调查 FRE 和球菌门在不同栖息地的多样性和分布及其分布的生态驱动因素。并行项目中使用的现有实地站点将用于更详细地分析 FRE 分布，例如季节变化、植物物种偏好以及对土地利用和管理的反应。宏基因组测序将用于重建 FRE 基因组，以便分析 FRE 对土壤生物地球化学过程的潜在贡献。